Shared Research

Because employers, especially small employers, will finally be faced with the decision whether to continue to offer health and dental benefits to their employees or send them to the state health exchanges, the 2013 Shared Research project will coordinate a series of quarterly national surveys of group purchaser attitudes, expectations, and perceptions related to dental coverage, oral health, and the effects of health care reform on their medical and dental benefits.

Background

Most employers will face many key decisions about continuing to offer health benefits, including dental coverage. Small employers will have a number of options regarding the health and dental benefits they choose to provide for their employers. As employers approach the time when benefit decisions must be made, their behaviors and attitudes toward the purchase of dental benefits may change.

Call for Sponsors

As part of the NADP mission to provide value to our membership and the dental benefits industry, we are issuing this call for sponsors of a primary research study addressing employer attitudes, expectations, and perceptions related to dental benefits, dental health, and the effects of health care reform on their medical and dental benefits.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are as follows:

Identify common attitudes, expectations and perceptions associated with the purchase of dental coverage.

Track changes in those attitudes, expectations and perceptions through the course of 2013.

Identify opportunities for dental plans to provide educational and other services to employers to aid in their purchase process.

Additional objectives may be developed by the sponsor companies.

Methodology

To track changes in attitudes, expectations and perceptions associated with the purchase of dental coverage over the course of the year, this effort will survey employers in waves. At the close of each quarter (April, July, October of 2013 and January 2014) NADP will survey at least 300 employers. Respondents will be qualified to ensure that they at least provide input into final decisions on employee benefits. The sample will be sufficiently diverse to compare responses

By employer size (100 and fewer employees, over 100 employees).

By region (Northeast, South, Midwest, West). Sample sizes may be sufficient to compare a few larger states such as California, Texas, and New York, as well.

By FFE states, partnership states and states that will run their own health exchange.

Program Design

This research will be wholly funded by participating sponsors. Each sponsor will contribute an equal share of the cost of the study series, currently estimated at $7,000.Non-members will be invited to sponsor, but will be subject to a 25% surcharge.

Each sponsor will receive a Quarterly update and data file of the aggregate data within one month of the completion of data collection and a Final Report and data file within one month of the January 2014 data collection period.

A first quarter report and a final report will be made available for purchase to the general public no sooner than 45 days after it is received by the sponsor companies. The member price for the two public reports will be at least $4,995 for both; the non-member price will be at least $6,250. Other quarterly updates will not be made available to NADP general membership or to the public, but will be available to report sponsors.

Sponsor Benefits

Dental plans funding this study will receive the following benefits:

Editorial participation on final content of the survey and reports

Access to all data files

Access to quarterly updates and final report 45 days before the report is available to NADP members or the general public.

Deadline to Commit: March 18

For more information about this research project and how to participate, please contact Jerry Berggren (972-458-6998 x113), Director of Research and Information. Commitments to participate must be made no later than March 18, 2013.